Alvar means one who is "immersed" in the
experience of God, the omnipresent mysterious One.
Tradition reckons 12 Alvars. They come from all walks of life
and all strata of society and include in their ranks
one
woman. Between the fifth and ninth century, in the
Tamil-speaking region of South India, these saints revitalized
the Indian religious milieu, sparking a renewal of devotional
worship throughout the subcontinent. Traveling from place to
place, from temple to temple, from holy site to holy site, they
composed exceedingly beautiful poetry to their Divine Beloved,
Vishnu, as an expression of their love for Him. Anyone can see
why their poetry was so attractive; at once both impassioned and
philosophical, their words cut across all barriers of caste and
class, attracting all to their faith. In doing so, they sculpted
a new religious heritage of intensely emotional bhakti, or
love of the Divine, whose impact is still felt today in the
Indian religious life.

Not yet represented: Madhurakavi Alvar. I will also replace the poor quality photographs with
better ones in the near future.

The Alvars composed approximately 4000 Tamil verses. In the
9th-10th centuries, the philosopher-saint Nathamuni went
to extraordinary efforts to recover these verses from near
oblivion. Nathamuni arranged them as the
Divya
Prabandham, or Divine Collection, set many of them
to music, and rejuvenated the tradition of formally reciting them
in temples.